


bravery (it can wait for a while)

by beanie_betty



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Sleepy babies, falling asleep together, gratuitous fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-29 03:57:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12622668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beanie_betty/pseuds/beanie_betty
Summary: "Jug?""Mm?" He looked up at her. Her eyes met his and her breath hitched. I miss you, she wanted to say. I'm worried about you. I'm scared."You can go to bed if you want. It's getting late." Damn it, Cooper.





	bravery (it can wait for a while)

**Author's Note:**

> After my first fic about how Betty and Jughead ended up on the couch, I had a request over on tumblr for another version where Jughead falls asleep first. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Title and inspiration are from the song "Incomplete" by James Bay.

_I breathe out now and we fall back in_   
_Just like before we can re-begin_   
_Let your lungs push slow up against my skin_   
_Let it all feel just fine_

_-_ _Incomplete by James Bay_

 

"Jug, can you pass me that notebook please?" 

Jughead looked up at Betty and followed her pointing finger to the book next to the couch at his feet. He picked it up and passed it to her where she sat on the floor, and lay back across the couch with his feet resting on the armrest as he opened his own book again. Betty's gaze lingered on him, watching him twirl a pen around his fingertips. She noticed the dark bags under his eyes, elongated by the way the dull light threw shadows across his face. 

"Jug?" 

"Mm?" He looked up at her. Her eyes met his and her breath hitched.  _I miss you_ _,_ she wanted to say.  _I'm worried about you. I'm scared_ _._  

"You can go to bed if you want. It's getting late."  _Damn it, Cooper._

Jughead turned to look at the clock on the wall, and then back to her. "It's okay," he said, flashing her a quick smile. "I'm not going to leave you." Her heart skipped a beat at his words. 

Betty cleared her throat. "Are you sure?" He looked at her again and frowned slightly. "I mean- I know you must be tired," she said quickly. "You've been working late at the Red & Black a lot," she continued, hoping her tone wasn't too accusatory. 

Jughead sighed and put his book down on the couch. He pulled off his beanie, running his hand through his hair. Her eyes followed the motion. So many unsaid words hung heavily in the air between them. 

"I don't want to start a fight," Betty said quietly. She uncrossed her legs and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. 

"I know, Betts. Me either. And I'm sorry," Jughead said, pulling his beanie back onto his head. "I'm sorry for what Toni said to you, and I'm sorry that I've been a bit off the radar." He didn't meet her eyes, focusing instead on the books and loose papers surrounding her. 

Betty inhaled deeply. "It's okay," she said. "I get it. We can figure it out later, I want to keep working on this for now," she said, gesturing to the mess around her. "But I feel bad that you're staying up for me."

Jughead, who had picked up his book again and was flicking through the pages, yawned and said absently, "I love you, of course I'd stay with you." He looked up and found Betty looking straight at him with an expression on her face that he couldn't quite read. "As long as that's okay with you," he added quickly. 

Betty shook her head slightly and turned back to her books. "Yeah, that's fine. I'd rather not be alone." She shot him a sad smile. He held her gaze for a few seconds before nodding and returning to his book. She exhaled and picked up her pen, determined to make some progress. 

Minutes passed before Betty heard a strange muffled sound. She looked around, trying to identify it, and her eyes fell on Jughead sprawled on the couch with one arm bent over his face and his book lying open on his chest. She couldn't stop a tiny smile spreading on her face when she heard the sound again and saw his chest slowly rise and fall, and realised he was snoring softly. 

Betty stood up and stretched, and a wave of tiredness washed over her. She stumbled over the books on the floor to the couch and sat down beside Jughead. She slowly moved his arm above his head so she could look down at his sleeping face - a face she hadn't seen enough lately. Enjoying the time she had without distraction or interruption, her eyes roamed over the moles on his cheek, to his slightly open mouth, to his impossibly long eyelashes. Unable to resist, she lifted a hand and gently traced her fingertips along his jawline, and then up the side of his face. She moved his beanie back on his head and ran her fingers slowly through his dark curls, pushing them off his forehead. 

He shifted slightly and she felt his arm move from above his head, coming down to take her hand in his. His eyes remained closed as he languidly lifted her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. She felt her heart swell and a lump formed in her throat. Even though she knew he was mostly asleep, she knew that it meant more than just a simple sign of affection. It was a promise. _I'm with you._ She bent over to place a kiss on his forehead and felt his hand gently tug her down towards him. She laughed quietly and resisted, trying to pull away so she could return to her spot on the floor and keep working. 

"Please," Jughead whispered, barely audible. She sighed and looked at the clock.  _I'll take a break for ten minutes,_  she thought. She let him pull her down so she was lying next to him and she tucked her feet in between his. Immediately his arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer to him, and she smiled to herself.  _Jughead Jones, son of FP Jones, Southside Serpent royalty, nothing but a big cuddly sook_ _._ He pressed his nose into the back of her neck and she felt his warm breath against her skin as he exhaled softly. All of the tension between them melted away as she felt his chest rise and fall against her back. She turned her head towards him and whispered, "I love you." 

She felt him mumble against her neck, "Mmlove you too." 

She settled against him and laced her fingers into his.  _Just ten minutes._  

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought! Visit me over on tumblr at beanie-betty.tumblr.com


End file.
